Cedar Crest College a ‘Best Value’ and ‘Top Regional College’ in U.S. News Rankings

Allentown, Pa. (Sept. 12, 2012)—For the second straight year, U.S. News ranked Cedar Crest College among the “best values” for regional liberal arts colleges in the northern United States and a “top regional college.” Cedar Crest ranked sixth for value and sixteenth in the top regional college category in the 2013 U.S. News and World Report rankings of northern colleges and universities. Cedar Crest rated in the top 26 percent of these colleges overall.

Cedar Crest distinguished itself most in the percentage of classes with fewer than 20 students (76 percent) and a low student to faculty ratio of 10/1, which promises students the individualized attention they deserve. The rankings confirm that the College is continuing to provide a quality and reasonably priced education, and this should only improve as Cedar Crest makes strides in the areas of recruitment and retention.

For example, first-year students in 2012-13 have a 12 percent higher high school GPA than those entering the prior year, and a highly successful First-Year Experience program helps all first-year students with the transition to college.

“Cedar Crest has always prided itself on providing a quality liberal arts education to motivated young women, and our mission and strategic plan will help ensure our graduates are prepared to be leaders in an increasingly global society,” said College President Carmen Twillie Ambar.

In addition to the “best value” and “best regional college” rankings, the report did indicate that many Cedar Crest students incur debt in order to pursue their education. College officials believe this is in large part due to the high percentage of students who hail from working class families and communities. These students could not attend college without applying for and accepting student loans.

“Cedar Crest is located in the city of Allentown and is part of the proud working class tradition of the Lehigh Valley, and we are happy to draw a large percentage of first-generation college students from the local area,” said Ambar. “We are also proud of the opportunity for social mobility that we offer our students, and while some students do incur debt, our ‘best value’ ranking indicates that their investment pays off. It is also true that 98 percent of our students received financial aid, and that is because we believe that everyone who wants to earn a four-year degree should have the opportunity to do so. We are proud that we can help so many to reach their educational and career objectives.”